Adrian > Recent Status Updates

"One must calculate penalty in terms not of the crime but of its possible repetition.One must take into account not the past offense but the future disorder.Things must be so arranged that the malefactor can have neither any desire to repeat his offence, nor any possibility of having imitators."

The public execution is a ceremonial by which a momentarily injured sovereignty is reconstituted. It restores that sovereignty by manifesting it at its most spectacular. The public execution belongs to a series of rituals in which power is eclipsed and restored; it deploys before all eyes an invincible force.

Alfred Krupp despre Goethe:
Cei ce nu fac decat sa-ai contemple buricul si sa emita judecati se idioti oricat de mult ar fi apreciati aiurea nu-s decat niste haimanale. In ceea ce ma priveste in activitatea mea de afaceri, nu acord atentie laturilor , nu tin seama de nimeni , merg pe drumul meu si nu intreb pe nimeni ce am se facut.

The role of the judge has changed after the 19 century. He would choose the punishment and give orders to execute it. Now he uses a large mass of people to offload his duty of punishing. The advent of psichiatrists has also changed the dynamics. In the begining a psich would only answer true or false (ex. :is the convict dangerous)
Now he sets up the judicial presicription (ex jail or psi ward , long/short term)

After 1969 Richard Nixon wanted USA to exit Vietnam , but in a honorable manner while Hanoi demanded unilateral retreat.
Therefore USA had to employ a carrot and stick approach. They would progressively withdraw soldiers over a multi year period while bombarding Hanoi , mining ports , capturing Laos mountain passes used by guerillas and attack Cambodia, whenever Hanoi gonverment would violate the agreement.

Amazing insight on the Korean War. If Truman would have listened to General MacArthur and pushed the North Korean-Chinese forces to the 38 parallel (at the Yalu river) we would not have a crazy fucker today with an atomic bomb. We would have a united Korea with Pyongyang within it , with 90% of the population and a UN buffer (rest of Korea) between the Korean republic and China.
USA was at the height of its power !

Razboiul franco prusac (1870) nu a fost nici pe departe ceva scurt cum imi inchipuiam.
Chiar si dupa batalia decisiva de la Sedan , razboiul a continuat spre Marna si apoi Paris.
Capitala a intreprins o reizstenta disperata timp de saptamani intregi bombardamentelor tunurilor de otel turnat Krupp. Presa mondiala a ramas socata la vederea in premiera a cadavrelor sfartecate si a distrugerii produse de armele moderne

Aidoma unui startup modern, protagonistul Alfred Krupp, vinde tunuri, valturi (laminoare) pt statele europene, materiale de cai ferate, se lupta cu concurenta , cu finantarea , gasirea de capital , marketing-ul il face la expozitiile de la Paris (1856) iar succesul sau ca firma se concretizeaza in timpul razboiului franco-german 1870 cand tunurle sale din otel matrasesc visele lui imperialiste ale lui Napoleon III

18-19 century Russia expansion to the far east is similar to USA racing west. Russia however reached an end when clashing with Japan (1904) and ocasional China skirmishes.

From then on Russia had to risk trouble at its borders if expansion stopped or constantly occupy new territories.
It chose the latter and entered central Asia aiming India, and the Balkans thus clashing with the Brits (Afghanistan) and Ottomans.

This book is becoming the best i'm reading this year. The way Kissinger's penetrates world politics, means and actions , mashing history, war , religion with an insight i have yet to see from anyone.
For example the british tackling the complexity of the german situation between 16-19 centuries, keeping it strong as not to be a target for french Bourbons but not too strong to pose a threat to all continental Europe

Cardinal Richelieu was the first man to define and act according to National Interest.
As a Catholic cardinal of France he saw that France was being sorrounded by Habsburgs on all sides and therefore acted not according to his religion but to national interest. He financed the protestant germans, the swedes and the danes, setup laws and promoted turmoil against his fellow catholics all in the name of state interest.

Two approaches form in early XX century in USA.
Teddy Roosevelt on one hand sees America as a state among others , a great one but still a nation and believes in the old european mentality of Balance of Power, while om the other Woodrow Wilson appeals with the new idea that USA should be the guardian of the freedom worldwide and thus promotes global interventionalism but with unselfish reasons
Woodrow prevails.

1497 , Codrii Cosminului: Stefan cel Mare impreuna cu Otomanii , Tatarii , Tara Romaneasca , Regatul Ungariei si Hanatul Crimeii lupta impotriva Uniunii Polono-Lituaniene si a vasalilor ei.

Cine ar fi crezut ca Stefan al nostru cel Mare isi baga botul des intre anii 1470-1480 in Tara Romaneasca, poarta un razboi asimetric (proxy) impotriva Poloniei utilizand un mercenar rus si hoarde de tatari de la Nordul Marii Negre si plateste tribut Inaltei Porti inca din anii 1460~
Nu e chiar viziunea idilico-eroica cu care am fost obisnuiti de manualele de istorie.